2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (Msg) Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!
How many excuses do you use?
Did you notice that Paul says, “The smallness you feel comes from within you?” Then he goes on to say, “Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way.”
A while back, I came to realize that statement was true for me. I was living small. I was full of excuses (I called them reasons) as to why my life was limited.
When I started to realize that God didn’t create me to be average and that my smallness was within and not based on circumstances outside of my control, I longed to expand my fence line. So I decided to take control.
I began doing these four habits daily and they have been instrumental in reprogramming my mind and enlarging my fences beyond what I thought I was capable of. And they can work for you too!
1. INDENTIFY YOUR TOXIC THOUGHTS.
You can’t deal with your stinking thinking until you first identify it as such.
Ask yourself a series of questions. “What thoughts are bubbling up into my conscious mind right at this moment?”
Focus in and see how many there are. Try to focus in on the feelings they are generating and describe them in as much detail as possible.
How does my mind feel? Do the thoughts in my conscious mind at this moment make me feel peace or worry?
Be aware of how your body feels. Are you tensing your shoulders?
2. REPLACE YOUR TOXIC THOUGHTS WIHT A NEW HEALTHY THOUGHT(s)
Solomon said in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The word “thinks” in this verse literally means gatekeeper. So, be aware of what you are allowing your mind to meditate and think on.
Replace the negative thoughts with positive ones by doing what Paul instructed the Philippian church to do in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.”
3. KEEP A THOUGHT JOURNAL.
Journaling is not a new practice, and many of us overlook its power. The actual process of writing consolidates the memory and adds clarity to what you have been thinking about. If you begin writing your thoughts out, you will start to see more clearly your thought patterns as you study them over time. You will even begin to see progressions, either positively or negatively, as you read your past entries.
Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”
There is power in writing out your thoughts.
Take the opportunity to think through your reactions again. Evaluate the toxicity levels, and reorganize, redesign, and re-transcribe them. Redesign your thoughts. Don’t just look at how you go about dealing with your circumstances but evaluate how you are thinking and reacting through them. Then, redesign your thoughts by focusing on what is positive, and begin looking for the solutions.
Be solution-minded, not problem-focused.
4. ACT.
James 2:20 says, “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” It’s not just deciding to forgive; it’s the actual forgiving that has the power. It’s not just the decision to lose weight; it is the actual lifestyle change and daily disciplines that get the results. In the same way, you have to change your behaviours to renew your mind.
You can’t just wish your way to enlarged thinking. You will not only have to change your thinking, but you will also have to change your behaviours as well. Faith without works is dead, so let’s go to work.
RESOURCES:
Book: Mindcraft by Kelly Stickel